Cigarette case with secret pocket



Nov. 1, 1949 s. KNEE CIGARETTE CASE WITH SECRET POCKET Filed Dec. 14,1946 You FIND TM: a T12 INVENTQR .Sl/VONKNEE ATTO R N EY Patented Nov.1, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIGARETTE CASE WITH SECRET POCKETSimon Knee, Newark, N. J. Application December 14, 194.6, Serial No.716,337

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to cigarette cases or similar containers.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a cigarettecase or similar container with a secret pocket in which paper money orother articles may be placed.

The above object of the invention and other objects ancillary theretowill be fully understood from the following description, reference beinghad to accompanying drawings which are to be considered as illustrativeof the invention but not in limitation thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cigarette case embodying the presentinvention, the case being Fig. 2 is a sectional view on a larger scaleon the line 22 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of part of the case, as shown in Fig. 1,having a removable pull tab;

Fig. 4 is a front perspective view of part of the case showing thesecret pocket partly open;

Fig. 5 is an end view of the pull tab.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the container l3 embodying thepresent invention, and here illustrated as a cigarette case,comprisesthe receptacle bodies I2 and I4 hinged to each other asindicated at l6 so that one of these bodies forms a cover for the otherin a wellknown way. Receptacle body I 2 is provided with a latch isengageable in the case opening 20 of receptacle body l4 and releasableby a push button As is well understood cigarettes may be placed ineither or both of the receptacle bodies [2 and I4 where they are held bythe companion elastic bands 24 which are secured at their opposite endsto the frames 26 and 23 respectively of the receptacle bodies. Theframes 26 and 28 are metal frames of known construction for thesecurement thereto of the main or side walls of the respectivereceptacle bodies the side wall of frame 28 being indicated at 30 inFigs. 1 and 3.

The secret pocket, presently to be described, is provided in thereceptacle body 12 but it will be understood that it may also beprovided in the receptacle body M or, optionally, only in the latter.Referring now more specifically to the receptacle body l2, the main orside wall thereof comprises the outer Wall 32 which is preferably formedof leather but which may be formed of any suitable material. Said outerside wall 32 is secured to the frame 26 and forms the inner side of thesecret pocket. As shown, the outer wall 32 is of single thickness but itwill be understood that it may be provided with an inner lining. Aninner wall comprising a layer of covering material of leather or othersuitable material is secured in position internally of the body inposition over outer wall 32 adjacent the inner side thereof, said innerlayer or wall comprising, as here shown, the parts 34 and 36. Preferablysaid inner wall is formed of the same material or has the sameappearance as the inner surface of wall 30 of the receptacle body l4.Wall part 33 is secured to the frame at three side edges thereof and hasa free edge 38. Wall part 34 is secured in the body [2 preferably atonly one side edge thereof as indicated at 40 in Fig. 2 so that saidpart 34, which is flexibly movable, may be moved away from the outerwall 32 of the case, as 11- lustrated in Fig. 4 to provide access to thecontents of the secret pocket. Part 34 has a free end portion 42 definedby the end tabs 44 and by the intermediate tab 46. In the closedcondition of the secret pocket illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, the tabs 44underlie part 36 of the secret pocket and the intermediate tab 43overlies part 33 of the secret pocket. Thus, parts 34 and 36 haveinterengaging portions for releasably holding the flexibly movable part34 in its normally closed position.

The receptacle body which is provided with the secret pocket includesmeans which overlies and conceals the free end portion of movable part34 and the companion end portion of part 36. More particularly, as hereshown, said secret-pocket concealing means is constituted by thecigaretteretaining band 24 which is conventionally provided incontainers, such as cigarette cases, for holding the cigarettes in placein the case. It will be observed that parts 34 and 36 are relativelydimensioned so that the adjacent ends thereof, which provide thepocket-opening are located in position to be concealed by said band 24.A flat elastic band 48 is secured at its opposite ends to frame 23 inthe secret pocket to hold paper money or other papers flat against theinner side of the outer wall 32 of the case, and it will be understoodthat one or more bills may be folded flat and placed in the secretpocket beneath the part 33 and band 48, said money being covered byparts 34 and 36 of the pocket.

It will be understood that the presence of the secret pocket in the caseis not readily ascertainable by one not familiar with the case havingsaid pocket therein as hereinbefore described. In order that thepurchaser or owner of the case may become aware of the pocket, the case,in the condition in which it is sold, is provided with a temporarydevice for disclosing to the purchaser or owner the presence in the caseof the secret pocket. The device provided for this purpose is in theform of a removable pull tab 50 which as illustrated in Fig. 3 carriesinstructions to inform the purchaser of the presence of the secretpocket and aid the purchaser in locating the I secret pocket. Device 50preferably is formed of cardboard and has a folded end portion 52 whichis inserted between part 36 and the tab portion 46 of part 34 of thesecret pocket, tab 50 being disposed between the secret pocket and thearticle-retaining means or band 24 as illustrated in Fig. 2. It will beunderstood that when the tab 56 is pulled downwardly part 34 of thesecret pocket is disengaged from part 36 and moved to its open position,thus revealing the presence of the secret pocket. Once the purchaser orowner of the case has thus initially operated the tab 50, as a result ofwhich the presence of the secret pocket is ascertained, said tab isdiscarded. Part 34 may be considered as a closure flap or cover for thesecret pocket, and device 59 is a pull tab for opening said flap orcover. Although device 50 is a valuable feature of the invention, it maybe omitted and if desired supplanted by a circular of instructions whichmay be furnished to the purchaser of the case.

While I have shown anddescribed the preferred embodiment of my inventionit will be understood that the latter may be embodied otherwise than ashere specifically illustrated or described and that various changes inthe details of construction and in the arrangement of parts may be madewithout departing from the underlying idea or principles of thisinvention within the scope of the appended claims.

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. A case comprising a receptacle body having an outer main wall, aninner wall positioned internally of said body over the inner side ofsaid outer wall and forming a secret pocket therewith, there being an'opening for said pocket, and means in said body concealing said openingfrom view, said inner wallhaving a part formed of flexible sheetmaterial and secured to said body so as to be flexibly movable away fromsaid outer wall, while attached in said body, to provide access to thepocket, said part having a free end portion, said inner wall also havinga stationary part which is, secured at three side edges thereof to saidbody and is overlapped at its fourth edge by said free end portion, andan article-retaining band in said body secured at its opposite ends soas to be normally spaced from the outer surface of said inner wall forretaining. articles in position against said inner wall in the spacebetween the band and said inner wall, said article-retaining bandoverlying and concealing said overlapped portions of said movable andstationary parts of said inner wall.

2. A case comprising a receptacle body having an outer main wall, aninner wall positioned internally of said body over the inner side ofsaid outer wall and forming a secret pocket therewith, there being anopening for said pocket, and means in said body concealing said openingfrom view, said inner wall having a part formed of flexible sheetmaterial and secured to said body so as to be flexibly movable away fromsaid outer wall, while attached in said body, to provide access to thepocket, said part having a free end portion, said inner wall also havinga stationary part which is, secured at three side edges thereof to saidbody and is overlapped at its fourth edge by said free end portion, andan elastic article-retaining band in said body spaced, in the relaxedcondition of the band, from the outer surface of said inner wall forretaining articles in position against said inner wall between thelatter and said band, said article-retaining band overlying andconcealing said free end portion from View, and interengaging endportions on said parts of said inner wall for releasably holding saidmovable part in position over said outer wall.

3. A case comprising a receptacle body having an outer main wall, aninner wall positioned internally of said body over the inner side ofsaid outer wall and forming a secret pocket therewith, there being anopening for said pocket, and means in said body concealing said openingfrom view, said secret pocket having a stationary part and a movableclosure flap, and a removable pulltab having an inner portion disposedfreely between said stationary part and said closure flap and therebyreleasably connected to said closure flap for moving the latter to itsopen position, said pull-tab being removably positioned between saidinner wall and said concealing means and automatically detachable fromsaid closure flap pursuant to said movement of said flap by said tab.

SIMON KNEE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 286,650 Talcott Oct. 16, 18831,152,815 Hubbard Sept. '7, 1915 1,206,124 Meyers Nov. 28, 19161,360,044 Stember Nov. 23, 1920 1,424,834 Lester Aug. 8, 1922 1,471,484Humphreys Oct. 23, 1923 1,564,966 Kulick Dec. 8, 1925 1,586,299Ehrlinger May 26, 1926 1,623,512 Webb Apr. 5, 1927 1,680,464 MarymontAug. 14, 1928 1,761,976 Barnes June 3, 1930 1,859,061 Walinsky May 17,1932 2,154,826 Stember et a1 Apr. 18, 1939 2,415,117 Tamarin Feb. 4,1947

